Co-manager Randy Collins takes delivery of two films in the digital cinema format at the New Parkway theater in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. Several investors and film enthusiasts pooled their resources to convert an old auto shop in the Uptown neighborhood into a theater modeled after the original Parkway movie house. less

Co-manager Randy Collins takes delivery of two films in the digital cinema format at the New Parkway theater in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. Several investors and film enthusiasts pooled their ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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Theater 1 seats up to 145 moviegoers in a nightclub-style setting at the New Parkway, which is under new management and moved from Oakland's Lake Merritt neighborhood to a former auto shop in Uptown.

Theater 1 seats up to 145 moviegoers in a nightclub-style setting at the New Parkway, which is under new management and moved from Oakland's Lake Merritt neighborhood to a former auto shop in Uptown.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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Kitschy decor is featured throughout the New Parkway theater in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. Several investors and film enthusiasts pooled their resources to convert an old auto shop in the Uptown neighborhood into a theater modeled after the original Parkway movie house. less

Kitschy decor is featured throughout the New Parkway theater in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. Several investors and film enthusiasts pooled their resources to convert an old auto shop in the Uptown ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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Theater 2 features comfortable lounge chairs for up to 125 moviegoers at the New Parkway theater in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012.

Theater 2 features comfortable lounge chairs for up to 125 moviegoers at the New Parkway theater in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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Personalized service devices help food runners deliver orders.

Personalized service devices help food runners deliver orders.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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A variety of draught beers are tapped at the New Parkway theater in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012.

A variety of draught beers are tapped at the New Parkway theater in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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A vintage film projector decorates the cafe-style lobby of the New Parkway theater in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012.

A vintage film projector decorates the cafe-style lobby of the New Parkway theater in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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New Parkway's script still reads eclectic

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Lights, camera, action. And they do mean action.

Oakland's much-missed Parkway Theater reopened last week in an explosion of artsy, campy, Bohemian love, complete with beer and pizza, and plenty of gratitude.

"I'm so glad it's here. The Parkway fills a void for all the people in Oakland who follow the beat of a different drummer. And that's a lot of people," said Sophia Chang, owner of Kitchener, a commercial kitchen down the road from the new theater. "It's fun, comfortable, quirky. It's like a big community living room."

The theater is in a new location than the old Parkway and is not run by the same people, but organizers kept the name and format in tribute to the beloved movie house that abruptly closed in 2009 after a 12-year run near Lake Merritt.

The New Parkway, as it's called, is in a remodeled auto shop on 24th Street, in the heart of Uptown. Like the old Parkway, it includes two screens, couches, coffee tables and a large kitchen, so moviegoers can enjoy beer and pizza, among other treats, while watching films.

The programming is also inspired by the old Parkway. The lineup is an eclectic mix of second-run Hollywood movies, sci-fi, noir, burlesque, classics, film festivals, local showcases and TV presentations of the Oscars, Super Bowl, inauguration and other events.

Also back is perhaps the Parkway's most cherished offering: the Monday night Baby Brigade, in which weary parents can bring infants to shows.

Tickets are still cheap, too: $6 per ticket, two for one on Wednesdays.

"I loved the old Parkway, the way it connected people in a way movie theaters usually don't," said J. Moses Ceaser, a Berkeley photographer who spearheaded the project. "That was our goal, to re-create that. Although we did it with Q-Tips and duct tape."

Ceaser had no background in business or film when he set out to resurrect the Parkway. He was just a patron.

At least three or four other outfits attempted to reopen the Parkway and failed, citing troubles with the landlord and the difficulty of opening an independent movie house in a down economy.

Ceaser's crew also had problems with the landlord, mostly over much-needed repairs to the 1926 theater. Undeterred, they decided to find a new location. They raised money from dozens of investors, obtained loans and finished the project for about $1.35 million, pretty much on time and on budget.

"It fits really well with the avant-garde crowd in that area, all the galleries and Art Murmur" first-Friday arts party, said former City Councilwoman Nancy Nadel, who helped improve lighting in the area to increase safety. "With the Parkway opening, that neighborhood certainly is jumping."

The New Parkway is a for-profit business, but employees share in the proceeds and hundreds of volunteers have helped on the project. The couches were all donated or obtained second-hand.

On Sunday evening, a healthy crowd turned out for "Barbarella" and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." The kitchen seemed to operate smoothly and movie-goers were in a good mood, relaxing on couches and chatting.

"It's not just about the movies," said program director Randy Collins. "It's about having fun and creating a cool community space. ... I'm thrilled to be a part of all this. Now we just have to deliver."